Kenneth Branagh

Renowned actor and director Kenneth Branagh takes on the role of Agatha Christie’s beloved fictional detective, Hercule Poirot. Branagh’s preparations to play Poirot were extensive and included reading all of the Poirot novels in chronological order starting with a first edition of The Mysterious Affair at Styles, listening to recordings of 27 different Belgian accents by gentlemen of Poirot’s age speaking in English, and meeting with a dialect coach three times a week to study and practice Poirot’s accent.

Branagh has received five Academy Award ® nominations, across five different categories - Best Actor and Best Director (Henry V/1989), Best Live Action Short Film (Swan Song/1992); Best Adapted Screenplay (Hamlet/1996) and Best Supporting Actor (My Week With Marilyn/2012).

His recent film director credits include Thor, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit with Branagh playing Viktor Cherevin, a powerful Russian oligarch and Cinderella. 2017 saw Branagh star in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk whilst 2016 marked the end of Detective Kurt Wallander in the BAFTA winning series Wallander, the role which had earned him Emmy® and Golden Globe® nominations.

Talking about Agatha Christie, Kenneth Branagh said:

Agatha Christie is a master story teller with an amazing gift for characterisation.